Joe Simitian
Democratic
| Date | Party | Office | Votes | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11-07-2000 | Democratic | AD-21 | 82466 | Win |
| 11-05-2002 | Democratic | AD-21 | 72104 | Win |
| 11-02-2004 | Democratic | SD-11 | 230484 | Win |
| 11-04-2008 | Democratic | SD-11 | 272154 | Win |
Candidate Biography:
Saren Joseph Simitian
Born: February 1, 1953 in Hackensack, New Jersey
Married: Mary Hughes
1983-1991: Member, Palo Alto School District Board
1992-1996: Mayor, City of Palo Alto
1994: U.S. Election Observer/Supervisor (El Salvador)
1998: U.S. Election Observer/Supervisor (Serbia)
1996-2000: Member, Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors
2013-Present: Member, Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors
2024: Primary Candidate for CD-16 (Lost; 16.6%)
- International Incident: In 2011, the Government of Azerbaijan announced that Simitian has been banned from their country. Foreign Ministry spokesman Elman Abdullayev said that "Azerbaijan holds a firm stance in this issue: those who show disrespect to Azerbaijan and its laws will further be blacklisted. It is a rude violation of country’s laws."
- QUOTABLE: "I am disappointed, but not sad. I’m disappointed on a personal level because I had looked forward to running in November and serving in Congress. I’m disappointed because I couldn’t deliver a win for the oh-so-many folks who gave their time, effort, energy and resources to our campaign... That said, I am not sad. I have a wonderful life, a wonderful wife, and satisfying work to engage me at the County... My confidence in our country’s ability to renew and improve itself is not dimmed. I know that I am privileged to hold public office and I will do my best to honor that trust, helping people and solving problems until my last day in office." [Source: LinkedIn (5/1/2024)]
- Legislation: Senator Simitian has introduced a series of bills related to distracted driving; SB 33 (2007) [Prohibiting Teens from using cellphones while driving], SB 28 (2008) [Prohibiting Texting while Driving].
- Legislation: Author of SB 1411 (2010) which made it illegal to impersonate a person on the Internet in order to injure, defraud or deceive.
- Legislation: Author of SB 1381 (2010), the Kindergarten Readiness Act, which created a "Pre-Kindergarten" grade for students who are still 4 when they enter kindergarten. According to EdSource; this "will mark the first time that a new grade has been introduced into California schools since 1891."
- NOT AN API: This elected official was excluded from the "History of Asian Americans in the California Legislature" by the California Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus, although this person is Armenian-American and Armenia is in Asia (Source).
- CLOSE CONTEST: In the 2024, Primary Simitian initially led Evan Low by around 2,000 votes (1.98%) on election night. This margin eventually closed (1.1% on March 8th, 0.5% on March 11th, and 0.1% on March 12th) before Low took a narrow lead on March 13th. On March 14th, Simitian trained Low by 63 votes. On March 15th, Simitian regained second place with a 0.03% margin over Low. As of March 20th, Low led by 3 votes. As of March 22nd, Simitian led by Low by 6 votes. On April 2nd, Low retook the second-place from Simitian by a single vote. On April 3rd, the latest vote count left Simitian and Low tied again. The election results were certified with a tie between Low and Simitian with each having received 30,249 votes. During a recount, on April 22nd, Simitian gained a one vote lead over Low. On April 24th, they were again tied. On April 25th, Low led Simitian by one vote. At the conclusion of the recount in Santa Clara County on April 30th, Low led Simitian for second-place by four votes. On May 1st, Simitian conceded the race.
Source: California Legislature Handbook (2001-02)
Source: "California Gears Up for Extra Year of Kindergarten" by Erin Brownfield, EdSource (9/26/2011)
Source: "Azerbaijan includes California Senator in "black list" by S.Agayeva, Trend (10/3/2011)